Here's a new blog theme that I think I'm going to stick with for a while. Basically I'll give an update on what music I've been listening to, along with recommendations and impressions of everything. Of course some will go more in depth than others, but for the most part I'll try to give a good critique of all the games and music I'm consuming. This first entry in my "Music + Games" segment won't include much on games however, because there aren't many games I'm into right now.
Music:
Pale Cocoon – 繭
An ethereal wave album that I stumbled across yesterday, after looking for similar artists to Cocteau Twins. While Pale Cocoon technically shares a genre with Cocteau Twins, the music is completely different, a lot less catchy and much more experimental. I loved 繭, as it conveys a wide range of emotions very well, and seems to have been completely overlooked. It creates a lot of sounds that are somewhat alien to me, and while it definitely doesn't have the melodic genius of Cocteau Twins, that doesn't mean you shouldn't give it a try. Ethereal Wave is an interesting genre that I hope to familiarize myself with a bit more.
Autopsy – Severed Survival
A fantastic Death Metal album from the late eighties, Autopsy truly takes advantage of the grotesque imagery that Death Metal can convey. The guitar and blast beats combine with the gut-wrenching vocals to create an album to unsettle anyone looking to immerse them self in the genre. I've enjoyed Death (perhaps one of the most well known names in Death Metal) quite a bit, but I don't think it comes close to Autopsy in terms of shear brutal sound. As a part of my journey to understand the many types of Metal, Autopsy was vital.
At the Gates - The Red in the Sky is Ours
Not a whole lot to say about this one, but perhaps that's because I've listened to too much metal in the past few days. While I definitely enjoyed this album, after a while a lot of Metal starts to sound the same to me. Perhaps I should take a break, or maybe this album simply isn't as good as Severed Survival. I'm not saying the album is bad in any way, just that it didn't stick out to me like other Death Metal albums have.
Talk Talk - Laughing Stock
Another fantastic album from Talk Talk, Laughing Stock sees the band truly embracing their new sound. As one of the pioneers of Post-Rock, Talk Talk was definitely influential, but just leaving it at that is selling the band short. Give the album a listen, and you'll start to discern some sounds which have been imitated for years to come, but few can live up to. Laughing Stock is dense and cinematic: everything a good Post-Rock album should be. It even toys with jazz, which works wonders to make the album sound even more diverse. I don't think it's my favorite Talk Talk album, but I enjoyed it a lot.
Games:
Not really anything to put here, because I haven't been playing anything consistently, instead filling up my time with listening to music. I might try and get into Torchlight 2 again because it's easy to play while listening to music. If anyone has any ideas for games that pair well with music, let me know!
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